Black Velvet
by Scarlett Masquerade
Summary: Bellatrix and Rodolphus were forced to marry by their parents, who wished to see their families joined. When Bella joins the Death Eaters, Rod joins to protect her from what he believes are the unwanted affections of the Dark Lord.
1. Chapter 1: Not Glowing

**Chapter One: Not Glowing**

Rodolphus was anything but happy as he dressed in his new robes; black silk. He smoothed his dark hair back over his scalp, gelling it down firmly, and took one last look in the mirror before he joined his brother, prepared to wait at the altar for his wife-to-be: Bellatrix Black.

He had never liked her. She had always had a bit of a tendency for violence, even as a child she would step on butterflies and drown lizards in puddles. As she grew older, it was becoming more and more apparent: several times she had gotten into duels with Severus Snape, her cousin Sirius, even her own sister Andromeda- though Andromeda had had it coming, marrying a Muggle-born.

At least he was making a better match than _that_.

Music swelled from the black-jacketed musicians in the corner, and Bellatrix swept into view.

The voluminous white dress looked strange on her, at odds with her haughty face, her dark, tangled curls, and her black eyes. It was undoubtedly of her mother's choosing, after all, this whole wedding had been her mother's doing.

Cygnus looked bored, half out of his mind with drugs anyway, so that Bellatrix ended up being the one supporting him as they strode between the rows of chairs. Her veil hid her face, but he could tell that she was at least as put-out about this as he was.

She left her father at the steps leading up to where Rodolphus stood, impassive. They went through the motions of marriage together, but neither one had their hearts in it. When the time came, Rodolphus swept Bellatrix's veil away and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. She scowled.


	2. Chapter 2: Rules

**Chapter Two: Rules**

"I will not have sex with you." Bellatrix's harsh voice came from in the bathroom where she was changing into her nightgown.

"Good," Rodolphus sighed in relief.

"I will not sleep in the same room with you."

"Fine with me." Rodolphus contemplated his chances of snagging the master bed instead of the couch... they were minimal.

"If I choose to have an affair- though there's no one I'd wish to do it with- you will not stop me. I will not stop you, should you choose to do the same."

For a fleeting moment, Rodolphus saw himself holding _her_, with her waterfall of silvery hair falling across his chest-- but no, she was too young, and taken...

"All right."


	3. Chapter 3: Thinking

**Chapter Three: Thinking**

Bellatrix lounged on the couch with her feet on the table, the top of her messy black hair poking out from behind a newspaper. Her eyes studied the pallid face of Severus Snape as he glared from between greasy curtains of black hair, a "Most Wanted" headline in bold, curling letters over his head.

"How much do you know about these Death Eaters, Rodolphus?" she asked absently. Rodolphus was flipping pancakes in the kitchen.

"They're a bunch of loonies out to purge the Muggle scourge," he said, notes of disbelief coloring his voice.

"Hmm."

"You're not planning on joining them, are you?" Rodolphus said sharply, pausing with a pancake held in midair by his wand. "They're not headed anywhere good."

"Hmm."

Rodolphus shook his head. Bellatrix was being stupid... she couldn't possibly be seriously thinking of joining these people?


	4. Chapter 4: Memories and Meetings

**Chapter Four: Memories and Meetings**

Bellatrix remembered Snape as a weird little kid from school, another Slytherin, who hung out with other weird kids and played with Dark Magic. Not that she didn't do the same thing- she just did it alone.

And now he was a Death Eater, along with Mulciber, Crabbe, Goyle, and all the rest of them. Avery and Nott, as well. Even the little Black kid, Regulus, had joined up- although he'd been killed a few years back.

She recalled Rodolphus's words- _out to purge the Muggle scourge._ It sounded exciting.

- - -

Rodolphus rocked back and forth nervously on the balls of his feet, holding his cloak close around him and wondering why he had talked himself into this.

There was a soft crack a few feet away, and a pale figure emerged from nowhere, gray eyes searching the darkness.

"Narcissa," he said softly. The pale woman started at the voice, but recovered herself quickly and embraced Rodolphus. He held her close for too brief a time before she pulled away, leaving him empty.

"Rodolphus, thank you so much for meeting me here tonight," Narcissa said in her quiet voice. "I have so much to tell you."

Smiling, he motioned for her to take a seat next to him on the low wall that surrounded the back garden of his and Bellatrix's house.

"Me too."


	5. Chapter 5: My World Is Falling

**Chapter Five: My World is Falling**

"So you go first with your news," Rodolphus encouraged. Narcissa smiled with a grin that lit up her whole face, in a way that her grins rarely did.

"I'm getting married to Lucius. In two weeks!"

Rodolphus swore the world stopped spinning for several heartbeats as his face froze. A swooping, falling sensation gripped his stomach and all his muscles locked in place.

"That's...wonderful..." he choked. "Excuse me-"

He ran through the garden gate and retched into a dead begonia bush. Pressing his hands against his temples, he tried to forget Narcissa's elated smile, the light that came into her eyes, how she caressed the name _Lucius..._

Wiping his mouth, he settled a mask of happiness over his features and smiled blandly.

"I'm so sorry about that. I must have eaten something bad," Rodolphus said, sitting back on the wall. His voice sounded robotic even to his own ears.

"Oh, that's fine," Narcissa said brightly. "Are you all right? What was your niews?"

"Nothing. It doesn't matter." Watching the happiness slip off Narcissa's face gave him some small joy. He nodded to her coldly and left, leaving her sitting alone on the garden wall.


	6. Chapter 6: Plans

**Chapter Six: Plans**

When Rodolphus came back in, his face was in a turmoil- despondent, angry, horrified... Bellatrix noticed this, but didn't care enough to ask. The sap had eyes for her sister, she must have just told him the news of her wedding.

If all worked out, Bellatrix wouldn't be attending the wedding. In fact, if all worked out, she wouldn't have to see Narcissa or Rodolphus again for quite some time.

She had sent an owl to Snape today, asking in vague terms for a meeting. Reaching into the pocket of her crushed-velvet robes, she stroked the note between her fingers, excitement rushing up inside her.

_Dear Mrs. Lestrange,_

_How pleasing to hear of your wedding. Yes, I would immensely enjoy hearing from you again. Why don't we meet tomorrow? The sooner the better, I have much to share._

_Severus Snape._

She could hear the sarcasm bleeding through every word, but the Ministry couldn't, and that was all that mattered.

Bellatrix had enclosed a newspaper clipping, quite innocuous on its own- an advertisement for fertilizer that made your plants grow ten times taller, and in lovely shades of purple.

But embossed on it in invisible ink was the symbol that struck cold fear into nearly everyone who saw it, a green skull, with a snake protruding from its mouth and wriggling on the paper, as if desperate to be free. The Dark Mark.

Bella giggled with pure excitement.


	7. Chapter 7: The Meeting

**Chapter 7: The Meeting**

It was nearly three in the morning, a cold wind chilling Bellatrix to her bones and irritating her even more. Snape was half an hour late, and she kept attracting odd looks due to her wild hair and strange clothing.

Her robes were a shade of deep blue that night, silken with a velvet lining, but they weren't thick enough to keep out the early morning chill. She stomped her booted feet, angrily shooting a curse at a passing cat from under her robes. The cat ran off, hissing.

Suddenly, a figure dressed all in black to blend with the night popped into existence behind her with barely a noise. Dark hair framed his pallid face, which was twisted into a sneer.

"Dearest Bella," he said. "So you've decided to join us."

She responded with a curt, "You're late."

"So I am."

"Yes," she said after a long silence. "I have."

Snape offered his arm. She stared at it blankly, questioning.

"Shall we go?"

Then Bellatrix understood, and a delighted, slightly mad smile broke out across her face. Gripping Snape's forearm, the pair whirled into darkness.


End file.
